On the small building outside Zhang's house, Bao Tuo Bald Flower held his hands on the window sill, staring at the large group of people who were splitting the crowd and leaving, his face as sinking as water.
He had always been wary of Shili Hari, and was even more worried about his collusion with the Song people. Naturally, he was extremely wary of any further contact between the two parties.
But he was not here before, and Shili Hari came so suddenly that the people below did not dare to stop him. By the time he got the report and hurried over, it was no use.
Unable to prevent the two parties from meeting, and not wanting to see Shili Hari's ugly face, Baotou Bald Flower simply did not show up.
However, Shili Hari stayed inside for more than an hour, which far exceeded Baotou Tuhua's expectations. He couldn't help but worry about some big conspiracy between the two parties.
Especially when Shili Hari came out, he couldn't suppress the joy of spring breeze on his face, which was even more disturbing.
The conversation between Qian Long and him that day revealed that the Song Dynasty intended to support one force to break the balance of power in Champa.
He was tempted at the time, but scorned it afterwards, thinking that his family could fight behind closed doors, but could not allow outsiders to intervene. He also felt that the Song Dynasty was beyond its reach and might not really have the strength to intervene.
But now, he couldn't help but be shaken.
He has a deep enough understanding of Shili Hari, his mind is as dark and cunning as a fox, and he cannot afford to be too early to gain anything.
To make this thief beam with joy, he must have gained real benefits, and they were huge.
Thinking of this, a huge sense of crisis pressed heavily on Baotou Tuhua's chest, making it difficult for him to breathe and the expression on his face became ferocious.
Anxiety and anxiety created nameless fire in the body, as if ice and cold were emanating from Baotou Bald Flower's body.
The temperature in the small building suddenly dropped, and the subordinates behind him couldn't help but shiver, becoming more and more trembling.
A military general could not withstand this suffocating pressure, "Sir, please calm down. The crime of humble officials deserves death... But Shili Hari was too strong, and humble men stepped forward to stop him, and he was whipped hard before he could speak. , considering that Shangqing and him have not broken up, so I don’t dare to stand up to him, lest I take improper measures and ruin Shangqing’s important affairs.”
These words ignited Bao Tuo's anger. He turned around and kicked the general in the abdomen, "Trash! You can't handle even a small thing, so what use are you?!"
The general fell to the ground, but Bao Tuhua was still angry and continued to punch and kick him, using all his strength without mercy.
The general was hurt and hurt, but he didn't dare to block or hide, and he didn't dare to cry out in pain. Others didn't dare to dissuade him, so they quietly retreated a little, fearing that they would get burned.
After the general was beaten with bruises and bruises, a counselor finally interceded, "Your Majesty, calm down the thunder and don't fight again. General Nuokan did make a mistake. Even beating him to death is not an exaggeration. But because he has always been For the sake of my loyalty to you, let me spare him this time, not to mention being angry is harmful to your body, nothing is more important than your body."
Maybe it was because he was done venting, or maybe it was the dazzling whip mark on Nokan's face, so Bao Tuo Bald Flower finally stopped and kicked him again with hatred.
"For the sake of Mr. Wang, I will spare your life this time. If you make any mistakes again, you will be responsible for it!"
Nokan escaped death and wanted to kneel down to thank him, but he couldn't get up because of his waist and abdominal injuries. He could only lie on the ground and kowtow, enduring the severe pain and tearing open the corners of the bloody mouth.
"Thank you...Shangqing...for showing mercy...this is a humble position...I will definitely learn a lesson and don't dare to make the same mistake again..."
Bao Tuo Tuhua waved his hands impatiently, "Okay, okay, stop talking nonsense, go down and treat your injuries first."
Nokan couldn't get up at this time, and he couldn't get down by himself. Fortunately, the counselor named Mr. Wang stepped forward to help him up, and sent him outside the house to the soldiers for treatment.
Before leaving, Nokan thanked Mr. Wang profusely and said in a low voice, "Nokan will never forget Mr. Wang's life-saving grace, but he will never hesitate to give up if necessary!"
Mr. Wang said calmly, "It's just a matter of saying something. Don't worry about it, General. Let's rest easy and recover. I'll go visit the General later..."
After seeing off Nokan, Mr. Wang returned to the room where the atmosphere was still cold and solemn. Seeing that a group of officers and generals were still silent, he said slowly to Baotou Tuhua, "Your Majesty, I just have a few words that I don't know whether I should say or not."
"Sir, just say what you have to say."
Baotou Tuhua still admires Mr. Wang. Although he does not obey his words, he still respects him.
Mr. Wang did not speak immediately, but looked around pretending to be hesitant.
Bao Tuo Tuhua understood what he meant and immediately sent the others away, "You should go and do what you are supposed to do, don't stay here and make people look upset!"
As if they had been pardoned, everyone hurriedly bowed and left. They all looked at Mr. Wang again before going out, with expressions full of gratitude.
Mr. Wang smiled politely and nodded, and after the door was closed, he continued to speak, "Shangqing, you must have realized the crisis that will arise after Shili Hari's meeting with the Song envoy this time, so there is no need to say more. But the more the crisis is like this, the more your Majesty should be calm and the more important it is to win over people's hearts in order to prepare for big events."
Baotou Bald Flower was stunned when he heard the words, thought about it carefully, and nodded repeatedly, "Sir, you are right to remind me, that thief used to be low-key and tolerant, never leaving any clues, but in the past few days, he has frequently taken action. On Shiva Festival, The case ignored the voice of the people and the interests of the country, and blatantly favored the Song people. Today, he has been plotting with the Song envoy for so long. It seems that he has achieved what he wanted. And now that Brother Wang is not in the capital, it is the perfect opportunity for him to take action. I am afraid that he I will raise the flag to rebel at any time... Sir, you are right, the war is about to begin and it is the time to use troops. I should not be so harsh on my subordinates. Alas, why was I so angry just now?"
"Your Excellency, there is no need to be upset. Appropriate punishment is also appropriate. As long as kindness and power are combined, the people will naturally return to their hearts." Mr. Wang twirled his goat's beard, pretending to be a master.
Bao Tuo's eyes brightened, "Yes, yes, yes, Mr. Wang is so talented, he shows both kindness and power! I will award the rewards later so that the soldiers will serve loyally..."
Mr. Wang seemed to know how to measure things, and gave enough space for Bao Tuo Tuhua to perform on his own. He did not take any credit, and simply said, "Your Excellency is wise!"
Bao Tuo Tuhua did not delay this time, and immediately called the relevant people to make arrangements, and then left only Mr. Wang in the room.
Although this large-scale reward cost a lot of money, Baotou Tuhua's mood improved significantly despite the pain.
"The reason why I'm afraid of the thief Shi Lihori is just because I'm worried about the hidden arrows. As for the open sword and open spear, hehe, just let your horse come over... Hey, by the way, I suddenly thought of something strange. Even if I want to There is no need to make such a big show of giving money to please the Song people, and exposing the gold in the street. If it is an accident, I absolutely do not believe it. Such an approach will only irritate the people, make them more hostile to the Song people, and also damage the reputation of the thief himself. , this seems harmful rather than beneficial, so what is his purpose?”
Mr. Wang twirled his beard, frowned and thought, "In my humble opinion, there are probably two purposes. One is to add fuel to the fire so that he can take advantage of it and make the Song people agree to his request and provide support for his rebellion. Secondly, if he and the Song people failed to reach an agreement in the end, then he would add fuel to the fire and make the people completely lose control. When something happened to the Song envoys, he could put the blame on the king and the ministers, and then fight openly. If he launches a rebellion under the pretext of fighting against his superiors, the Song Dynasty will probably support him at that time."
"This thief is really cruel and thoughtful, and his heart is worth punishing! His heart is worth punishing!" Bao Tuo Tuhua gritted his teeth, and then his mind changed, "It's all because Brother Wang is so confused, and he has to do this. Now, he is being used by that thief, not only to deceive me, but also to deceive himself!"
He had determined that Jaya was behind the siege.
Mr. Wang hesitated to speak, and Bao Tuo Bald Flower became angrier as he thought about it, "Huh, one or two of them want to harm me, do they think I am a soft persimmon and can be pinched if they want? No! You are unkind, so don't blame me for being incompetent. righteous!"
"Sir, what do you mean by this?" There was a trace of nervousness in Mr. Wang's eyes.
"The meaning is simple. Since they all want to use me as a scapegoat and be buried with the Song people, of course I have to find my own way out."
"How can you find a way out on your own?"
"You Han people have a saying, the world is dominated by those who are capable. I believe that I have all the virtues and talents. This throne should have been mine, and it is time to take it back!"
The more Baotou Tuhua spoke, the more determined he became. The ambition that had been hidden for many years was now revealed without any scruples. "Shili Hari can marry the Song Dynasty, can't I!?"
Mr. Wang's heart was filled with turmoil. He never expected that Baotou Bald Flower would suddenly change. However, he was worried about arousing suspicion and did not dare to dissuade her openly.
"This matter is not a trivial matter. Once you step out, there will be no room to look back. Therefore, you should think twice before making a decision. It is not too late to consider all the issues before making a decision. What's more, Shili Hari has already colluded with the Song Dynasty people. I'm afraid it will be too late for you to go."
"This... what you said makes sense... and the Song Dynasty probably won't be able to provide any substantial support..." Baotou's bald eyes hesitated.
Mr. Wang secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Bao Tuo Bald Flower's old habit of foresight and hesitation had relapsed.
Just then, someone knocked on the door and said, "Report to your Majesty, General Yi Xisha is back and said he has something urgent to report to you."
Yi Tingsha was Baotou Tuhua's confidant. He was sent to sea a few days ago, but few people knew his specific mission.
"Come in quickly!" Bao Tuo Bald Flower was a little excited, and he didn't know whether it was surprise or joy.
The door was pushed open, and Yi Xiasha, shirtless and barefoot, walked in quickly, ready to be greeted.
But Bao Tuo Tuhua shouted anxiously, "Then King Yan of the Song Dynasty really arrived in Qiongzhou?"
Yi Tingsha originally wanted to repay the favor secretly, but since the boss spoke first, there was no need to avoid Mr. Wang, so he gave up the courtesy and reported directly.
"Your Majesty, King Yan of the Song Dynasty arrived in Qiongzhou three days ago. He landed at Linchuan Port of Jiyang Army. He was accompanied by a mighty army, with two to three hundred large and small ships, and an army of more than 30,000. The King of Yan's ship was especially huge, such as Mountains float in the sea..."
Qian Long originally said that the Song Dynasty would send a large army to clean up the pirates, and that the King of Yan would personally command him, but Bao Tuo Tuhua didn't quite believe it and only thought it was to scare people.
Just as a precaution, he still sent people to explore the waters near Qiongzhou, and he didn't know that anyone else had sent spies.
According to the instructions, Shili Hari's spies rushed back as soon as they saw King Yan's fleet. However, Yi Tingsha did not have such an order, and was more cautious and wanted to find out as much as possible about the situation, so he delayed For most of the day.
Baotou Tuhua was shocked when he heard the report, "He's really here... He's really here with his army."
After explaining the general situation, Yi Tingsha added, "Sir, I saw other ships wandering in the Qiongzhou waters from a distance. It seems that we are also occupying the city..."
"Ah!? Why didn't you tell me earlier? No, it must be Shili Hari's people... That thief has already taken the lead, we can't hesitate any longer, come here!"
"Pass my order to immediately send troops to drive away the crowd. They are not allowed to make any more noise. Even if they cannot be disbanded, they should stay as far away from the Zhang family mansion as possible, and strictly prohibit irrelevant people from approaching the Zhang family!"
"Immediately pack up a batch of daily necessities, fresh fruits and vegetables and other supplies and send them to the Zhang family!"
"Let me go back to my house and select a batch of generous gifts from the warehouse. I want to visit the envoy of Song..."
